Traction-engine.



A. 0. ESPE. TRACTION ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 25. 1909'.

Patented Dec. 21

1909. Ems-spam: 1.

gwvwtto c A. O. ESPE.

TRACTION ENGINE.

' APPLIGATIOI? IiLED MAR.25, 1909.

' Patented D6021, 1909 2 SHEETS- SHEET 2;

wi/bvwoow attoiuu o UNITED" STATES PATENT OFFIGE.

ALBERT 0. ESPE, OF CROOKSTON, MINNESOTA, AS SIGNOR TO UNIVERSAL TRACTORCOMPANY, OF CROOKSTON, MINNESOTA, A CORPORATION.

TRACTION-ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dec. 21, 1909..

Application filed March 25, 1909. Seriai No. 485,746.

To an whom a! may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT O. EsPE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Crookston, in the county of Polk and State of Minnesota,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Traction-Engines;and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in traction engines andparticularly the driving mechanism of the engine.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved construction ofdriving mechanlsm having means whereby the same may .is supported at itsbe quickly and easily reversed to propel the engine backwardly.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved means forthrowing the driving mechanism into and out of op eration.

VVith the. foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consistsof certain novel features of construction, combination and.

arrangement of parts as will be more fully described and particularlypointed out in the appended claims.

Figure l is a side elevation, partly .in vertical longitudinal section,of this improved engine; Fig. 2 is a plan .view thereof; Fig. 3 is adetail view of one of the front steering wheels and a portion of thebolster.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 denotes the frame of'theengine which rear. end upon driving wheels 2 which are fixedly mountedon the axle 3 revolubly mounted in bearings 4 on the frame 1, as shown.The front end of the frame has secured thereto a truss frame or bolster5 in the outer ends of which are which-are engaged pivotally mountedsteering axles 6 with the front steering wheels 7 of the engine. Thesteering wheels 7 have preferably formed thereon a centrally disposedannular rib 8 to prevent skidding-or slipping of the machine.

Supported on cross pieces 9 of the frame at one side of the same is amotor 10 which may be of any suitable construction but which is hereshown and is preferably in the form of a gasolene engine. On the shaft12 of the engine is loosely mounted a drive pulley 13 which is adaptedto be locked, into engagemeht with the shaft by a friction clutch 14:operated by a shifting device 15 which is connected by an operating rod16 to a hand lever 17 arranged on the frame in convenient reach of theoperator standing on the rear platform 18 of the engine.

engine is a reversing mechanlsm comprising a friction pulley 19 which isrevolubly mounted onza short shaft 20 journaled in suitable bearings inthe upper ends of supporting bars 2.1, the lower ends of which aresecured to a crank shaft 22, arranged in suitable bearings 23 on ahanger frame 24 secured to the main frame 1 of the engine. Ardund thedrive pulley 13 and the friction or reversing pulley 19 is arranged abelt 25. By means of the crank shaft 22, the pulley supporting bars 21are raised or lowered thereby disengaging or engaging the friction.pulley 19 with the drive pulley 13. When the supporting bars arelowered, the friction pulley will be engaged with the drive pulleyandwill be turned in one'direction y its frictional engagement with thedrive pulley and when the supporting bars are raised and the pulley 19disengaged from the pulley, the belt 25 will be tightened and the pulley19 will be driven thereby in an opposite direction. The crank shaft 22will be operatcd to raise and lower the supporting bars 21 in anysuitable manner, but is here operating rod 26 which is connected at itsouter end with a hand lever 27, suitably ment with a segmental rack 28whereby the lever and the crank shaft may be held in their adjustedposition.

()11 the shaft 20 is fixedly mounted a spur gear pinion 29 which is inoperativeengagement with a power transmitting gear. 30 which is engagedwith a driving shaft 31 through compensating gears 32 mounted on saidshafts. ()n the outer ends of the shaft 31 are fixedly mounted spur gearpinions 33 said pinions 33 being in operative engagement with drivinggears 34 rigidly secured to the rear drive and supporting wheels 2 ofthe engine. The pinion 29 on the s aft 20 is held in operativeengagement witht e power transmitting gear 30 by means of straps or bars85 which are loosely connected at one end to the shaft 20 and at theiropposite end to the shaft 31.

Engaged with the drive pulley 13of the mounted on the platform 18 and inengage-- drive shown as having connected therewith, an

shaft 40, the forward end of which has a 2? universal joint connectionwith and adgustbar 41 mounted in suitable bearings 42 the hanger frame24 of the machine. On tire rear end of the steering shaft 40 is mounteda hand wheel'43 whereby the shaft Lgnay be revolved and the threadedadjusting "rod turned in one direction or the other thereby retractingor projecting the operating rod 39 to turn the steering wheels in onedirection or the other.

On the front end of the supporting frame 1 is preferably arranged awater tank 44 while on the rear portion of the frame is arranged agasolene tank 45, said tanks being suitably connected to the engine 10.On the frame 1. over the rear driving wheels is preferably arranged mazdguards 46 and the engine and operating g gears are preferably covered bya hood 47. The rear platform 18 is attached to and supported by thehanger frame 5B4 and to the rear portion of said platform and frame issecured a loop, or eye 48.'

On one or both ends of the engine shaft 12 may be mounted belt pulleys49 by means of which the engine may be employed for operating machinery.When the engine is so employed, the friction pulley 19 will bedisengaged from the drive pulley 13 but will not be removed a sufficientdistance therefrom to tighten the belt 25 so that the propellingmechanism will be entirely disconnected from the engine shaft. Thefriction pulley 19 is held in its various adjusted positions by means ofthe notches arranged" in the rack bar 28 and engaged by the pawl of thelever 27, as hereinbefore described.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, the construction and operation of the inventionwill be readily understood without requiring a more extended exlanation. I

Various changes in the orm, proportion erases and the minor details ofconstruction, may

be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing anyof the advantages of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what fmounted in the upper ends ofsaid supporting bars and adapted to be moved thereby into and out offrictional engagement with" said drive pulley, a belt to connect saidfriction pulley with said drive pulley when out of frictional engagementtherewith, an operating rod and lever connected to said crank shaft, aspur gear pinion operated by said friction pulley, a drive shaft, acompensating gear mounted-on said shaft, a powertransmitting gearconnected to said shaft through said compensating gear, said powertransmitting gear having an operative engagement with the pinion of saidfriction pulley, engine supporting and driving wheels, driving gearsfixedly secured to said wheels, and pinions on the outer ends of saiddrive shaft to engage the drive gears 011.

said driving and supporting wheels whereby the engine is propelled in aforward or backward direction.

2. In a traction engine, a motor, a drive shaft operated by said motor,a drive pulley loosely mounted on said shaft, a crank shaft liavingspaced uprights connected therewith, a friction pulley mounted in thefree ends of said uprights, a belt arranged around said pulleys, anoperating lever connected to actnate said crank shaft for-raising andlowering'sai'd friction pulley to reverse the direction of the engine.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing wit- ALBERT o. ESPE.

" nesses.

